Art of dyeing filamentous textile substances



Sept. 9, 1930. E. .1. ABBOTT 1,775,543

ART OF DYEING FILIEBVI'US TEXTLE SUBSTANCES l Filed July 10, 1929 @L AUBERS SAL 7' sow r/o/v;

AcET/c A670 on AMMo/v/UM ACETA TE soLUr/o/v;

` MoMA/v7 sowT/o/v Q v 2600s Patented Sept. 9, 1930 unire HCE ART OFDYEING FILAMENTOUS TEXTILE SUBSTANCES Application led .Tuly 10,

rIhis invention relates to the art of dyeing filamentous textilesubstances.

While this art or process is primarily concerned with the treatment ofWoolen or Worsted yarns, slubbings, rovings, sliver, tops, Vor any otherform of elongate fibrous mass in a preliminary or finished state, it isapplicable Within this invention to vegetable or artificial textiles,Which, prior to reaching the state in which it is attempted to dye them,have been dressed, lubricated, or treated with oleaginous materials; orwhich are oily, gummy, and/or resinous, naturally or artificially, inthe state in which it is attempted to dye them. For example, Woolen orWorsted yarns, slivers, combed tops and many other fibrous aggregatesare quite generally treated for Working or making them with an oil or anoleaginous suspension, emulsion or solution which may remain in or onthe fibers, Which may also contain traces of Wool fat (lanoline) Washingsoaps, and many other foreign materials. The presence of these foreignor naturally included materials may be detrimental to even dyeing,especially when it is attempted to dye such materials by pressurecirculation through Wound or other aggregates or masses. Silk or naturalvegetable and synthetic cellulosic fibrous aggregates may in like mannerbe lubricated or dressed with the same class of materials.

It is in consequence common practice to scour yarns and other filamentsor other fila mentous aggregates before dyeing, for eX- ample withWater, ammonia and soap, particularly for the purpose of removing theanimal or vegetable oils and other foreignV inclusions either natural tothe material or added to the material before spinning or other Working,as before drawing; it is customary, for instance, to treat combed topswith an emulsion of a suitable oil dispersed in an aqueous menstruum soas to cause the material to retain by capillarity and in uniformdistribution about 3% by Weight of olive oil or suitable substitute, andalso a corresponding quantity of the dieper-sing, suspending` oremulsifying agent, Whatever that may be, (usually a soap) and of theWater or other liquid in Which the oil is dis- 1929. Serial No. 3W,20l.

persed. lf now the filamentous aggregate or yarn is Wound or massed in apackage, and it is attempted first to scour and then to dye by pressurecirculation through the mass (as by forced circulation through, fromWithin or Without, a hollow perforated Wound spool or beam, of the Washor dye liquor in the vat or kettle in Which the package is immersed),difficulty ensues from the curdled, solid or gelatid product of theoleaginous inclusions and the caustic, ammonia or soap of the scouringliquor; the Wound mass of filamentous material, Whether a sliver orroving, or yarn, constitutes a quite perfect filter screen or bed, andcirculation of liquids for scouring or rinsino` inevitably results indeposit of the icy-products of scouring on and Within one face or theother of the Wound mass, depending upon the direction of circulation,and penetrating Well into the wound mass. This kind of foreign materialso deposited in and on the fibrous material seriously affects dyeing,although l find that a Well-distributed small amount of oil of the orderof 3% by Weight of the fiber, Whether in a globular state or indistribution in capillary spaces, offers no considerable obstruction touniform taking of dye if uniformly distributed.

For the reasons indicated it is difficult practieally to scour withoutleaving deposits from the circulating liquor in the vat or kettle on theWound or compressed fibrous masses, or otherwise fully to removeincluded oily materials in such a way as to secure that no prod uct ofscouring is left on or in the fibrous mass. Solids, gelatid or emulsoidmasses resulting from the chemical action of the scouring liquor areinevitablyrleft on one face or the other of or Within the Wound mass,Whether or not the liquor is circulated, and this obstruction on andabout the fibers to be dyed is really more harmful to good dyeing thanis a Well-distributed quantity of dispersed oleaginous matter not Washedout.,

I have established by experiment that in the case of Wool and pressuredyeing by circulation, a slightly acid bath (preferably acetic) beforedyeing neutralizes the normal alkalinity of the Wool ber and any otheralkaline inclusion resulting from the natural tempt to avoid this effectby starting with av grease orlubricating emulsion with which `the woolwas originally treated, and that such'a slightly acid bath breaksemulsions, coagulates and precipitates the suspended fine particles ofoil on the fiber Without altering the uniform distribution of these lineparticles in the wound mass. Satisfactorily uniform dyeing to the resultof a fairly welldistributed deposit of color then results on running ina dye solution into the vat. There is, however, a countervailingobjection to this procedure; acidity accelerates the action of the dye,and when the circulation of acid solution is begun even at lowtemperatures, for example from 7 0 to 80 F., the filter bed constitutedof the wound mass becomes preferentially acid on the side firstreceiving the circulation, so that when dye solution is afterward runinto the circulating current and the temperature increased to a boil fordyeing, the dye preferentially takes more strongly on these previouslyacidulated fibers, with the result that the part of the wound mass firstin contact with the circulating solution takes a darker color in a giventime. 0n atneutral or slightly alkaline dye solution and increasing itsacidity, I found that I could not avoid freeing into circulation a partof the suspension or emulsion product, or of the oleaginous inclusions,which then deposited on the wound mass as a filter bed when the liquorincreased in acidity, and made the dyeing uneven.

I have devised and recommend, in order Yto eliminate allof thesedetrimental effects, a

procedure characterized by a preliminary treatment for the purpose ofbreaking suspensions or emulsions in and'on the oilcarrying4 woundmasses and fixing the distribution of the oily contents, comprising` apreliminary circulation at relatively low'temperatures of a saltsolution, for example a 'solution of Glaubers salt (NaZSO,L -I- 10H20)or common salt (NaCl). This saline solution has the effect ofprecipitating or coagulating the oily vemulsion in place in a state offine distribution throughout the wound mass, thus fixing the oil in itsoriginal distribution throughout the wound mass, so 'that there is noemulsion or lather or other gelatid mass free to circulate with thecirculating liquor in the pressure dyeing system, which can possibly beleft as a filtrate on one face or the other vof the wound mass. Havingso treated the oily mass of fiber, a suitable acid, if necessary vforthe dye process, may then be added slowly during circulation of thesaline solution so that it penetrates uniformly `through the relativelythick wound mass; the temperature of the circulating liquor may then beraised and the dyestuff be added, with chrome or other mordant ifnecessary, and the liquorin circulation lthen raised slowly toa boilingpoint. The vegetable oil content of a treating emulsion or any otheroily inclusion by this treatment is left in place, and the acidulationof the fibrous mass proceeds evenly without preferential acidconcentration anywhere in the fibrous mass, and the dyestuff takesevenly.

An instance of practice will now be described by the aid of theaccompanying lrawings, in which:

Fig. l is a diagram section through a circulating pump and one of anumber of wound packages in a dye kettle; and Y Fig. 2 is a diagramillustrating the dispcsition of different solutions adapted to beentered in to the dye kettle.

Referring to F ig. l, the kettle or vat l may be any vessel capable ofholding hot liquids, preferably open at the top (although I may employmy process in and for any kind of closed circulating` dye system) andhaving either a steam coil, not shown, or an entrance pipe 2 for livesteam as shown for the purpose of heating the contents. The vat l mayhave any desirable devices for circulating its contents, such as abottom 8 and a Y false bottom 4l between which is a plenum or suctionchamber shown as a plenum chamber 5, through which an induct' from vat 1to a circulating pump 7 may lead. The pump 7 may deliver through pipe 8into the plenum chamber 5. rllhe false bottom l. provides seats at 9 forany desirednumber of spools having perforated tubular barrels 10 whichmay carry a wound mass of fiber F, which barrels may have any suitableform of sealing head ll adapted to be held by nut 12 on threadedVhold-down bolts 13 attached to the bottom 3 of the vat. `With thesedispositions, operation of the pump 7 results in penetration of theliquor in the kettle l from the inside toward the outside of the woundmasses F at valved, from supply tanks or other sourcesV of the materialsto be used in the process. For example, tank 2O is provided with asolution of a neutral salt, recommended to contain onel pound to tengallons of water of Glaubers salt crystals (NaSOrl-1OH2O); tank 2l maycontain a solution of acetate of ammonia or acetic acid at a suitableand known concentration, and tank 22 may contain a neutralsolution ofthe dyestuff intended to be employed; whereas the tank 23 may be filledwith a chrome or any mordant solution. lith apparatus so arranged, theprocedure is to charge the empty vat l with Wound beams or spools stillretaining the oily emulsion or natural oils or greases; to close thevalve of the drain'pipe 16, and then to till the kettle with a saltsolution from tank 2O by suitably manipulating its valve and watersupply valve 24 it desired. Tank 2O may be kept at a temperature ot 700ll., or the entering solution may be raised to substantially such atemperature by entering steam. The pump 7 is now started. littertreatment for a suitable time, for example ten minutes, the Valveleading from tank 21 is opened to a degree suicient to permit, havingregard to the concentration ot the acid solution, the addition of anormal quantity of acid to the saline solution in circulation during aperiod ot twenty minutes, more or less, whereupon steam is run into thekettle until the temperature reaches about 120O F. Dyestutl is now runinto the kettle irorn tank 22, and the admission of steam continueduntil. the contents of the kettle reaches the boiling point, whereuponafter operation under circulation for sixty minutes, or such longer orshorter time as may be desired, all yalved entrance pipes are closed,and the spent dye solution run oit through the drain pipe 16.

The wound masses may then be dried in any usual way, preteraby bycirculating air under pressure through them.

While l have described a procedure suitable Yfor animal fibers includingsilk, T am well aware that dyeing Vegetable fibers and artificial silkmay require dyeing in the presence of an alkaline or neutral liquor, andin that case the contents of the tank 21 will ot course be alkaline orno flow from itwill be permitted. Tu some cases brine of common salt maybe used from tank 20. So tar as T am aware, the neutral saline solutionrecommended to be used is not detrimental to dyeing in any usual way,whether dyeing is to proceed in an acid or alkaline menstruum; but incase it should be so desired l may modity my process by washing orrinsing after entering the saline solution, and in this case the stepsof the process are modilied by irst circulating a saline solution, thenrunning oil the conte its through tie drain 16, during or before runningin water at any desired temperature; circulating the wash water duringthe drainage at 16 and entrance of more water at the pipe 15, andthereafter closing the drain pipe; then entering an acidulant and asuitable dye solution, or a dye solution ot suitable acidity oralkalinity. The beneficial eilect of the saline treatment oit theincluded emulsilied oil or greasy dressing on the iibrous material isnot altered by this washing pro` cedure, which normally is not necessaryat all. When dried the wound mass still contains distributed thereinsubstantially the original amount of the applied oil. The presence of asuitable oil, such as olive oil, in the finished product is advantageousto spinning, weaving or knitting, an equivalent dressing quite generallyhaving been supplied after dyeing a scoured textile material.

This process avoids the expense of scouring and the expense of addingoil to the iinished dyed product.

l claim:A

1. Art of dyeing filamentous textile substances bearing oily inclusionsdistributed therein or thereon comprising as steps treatment `ot saidsubstances with a reagent for precipitating in place said inclusions andsubsequently dyeing without scouring.

2. Art of dyeing lilamentous textile substances bearing as an inclusiona Vegetable oil dispersed in an aqueous menstruum comprising as a stepprecipitating in place the oily inclusions by the action of a neutralsaline solution in water, and thereafter dyeing the textile substancesby circulating through them an aqueous dye solution.

3. Art ot pressure dyeing aggregate masses of filamentous textilesubstances bearing an inclusion of an emulsion ot an oil dispersed in anaqueous menstruum comprising reacting on the emulsion with a neutralsaline solution to precipitate the oily contents on the textile materialand thereafter circulating an acid dye liquor 'through said massrepeatedly.

1l. Art of dyeing iilarnentous textile substances bearing as aninclusion a vegetable `oil dispersed in an aqueous inenstruum comarisinas a sten preci itatinfr in lace the C) x c1 oily inclusions by theaction oi a solution of Glaubers salt in water, and thereafter dyeingthe textile substances by circulating through them an aqueous dyesolution.

5. Art of pressure dyeing aggregate masses ot filamentous textilesubstances bearing an inclusion ot an emulsion or" an oil dispersed inan aqueous menstruum comprising reacting on the emulsion with a solutionof Glaubers salt to precipitate the oily contents `on the textilematerial and thereafter circulating an acid dye liquor through said massrepeatedly.

6. Art of dyeing a wound mass of textile fibers bearing a distributedinclusion of an emulsion of an oil dispersed in a continuous aqueousmenstruum comprising as steps acting on the wound mass by circulationtherethrough of a saline solution, whereby to fix in place the oilyelement of said inclusion, and thereafter circulating a dye liquorthrough the wound mass drying said wound mass.

Signed by me at lVilton, N. H., this 25th day of June, 1929.

EDNARD J. ABBOTT.

